LOS ANGELES, April 17 (UPI) -- A two-run double by Doug Mientkiewicz in the sixth inning Thursday broke open a close game and lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers past San Francisco 7-2.
The Giants lost their sixth straight game and fell to 2-7 for the season. Los Angeles has won five in a row.
Los Angeles held only a 3-2 lead going into the sixth and San Francisco starter Barry Zito (0-2) was still on the mound. Zito, however, hit Russell Martin with a pitch and walked Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp to load the bases.
Brandon Medders relieved Zito and gave up a sacrifice fly to Casey Blake. Mientkiewicz then came on as a pinch-hitter and doubled to right, the Dodgers' only hit of the inning, making it a 6-2 game.
The win went to Eric Stults (2-0), who gave up two runs on five hits over five innings. Stults has replaced the injured Hiroki Kuroda in the rotation after traveling back and forth to Class AAA Las Vegas during the past three seasons.
Rafael Furcal hit a solo homer for the Dodgers in the first inning.
